Sponsor
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
AirTalk

New Study Says Long-term Exposure To Air Pollution Can Be Equivalent To Smoking A Pack A Day

A layer of pollution can be seen hovering over Los Angeles, California on October 17, 2017, where even though air quality has improved in recent decades, smog levels remain among the nations's worst, with wildfires in the region also contributing to poor air quality.
A layer of pollution can be seen hovering over Los Angeles, California on October 17, 2017, where even though air quality has improved in recent decades, smog levels remain among the nations's worst, with wildfires in the region also contributing to poor air quality.
(
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
)
Listen 1:37:03
Today on AirTalk, we examine a recent study that links air pollution to an increase in emphysema and discuss the findings with an author of the study as well as a local expert who’s been researching the effects of pollution. We also take a look at the best options for police when it comes to possible suicide by cop calls; and more.
Today on AirTalk, we examine a recent study that links air pollution to an increase in emphysema and discuss the findings with an author of the study as well as a local expert who’s been researching the effects of pollution. We also take a look at the best options for police when it comes to possible suicide by cop calls; and more.

Today on AirTalk, we examine a recent study that links air pollution to an increase in emphysema and discuss the findings with an author of the study as well as a local expert who’s been researching the effects of pollution. We also take a look at the best options for police when comes to possible suicide by cop calls; and more.

As Some Law Enforcement Agencies Rethink Policy, Is No Response The Best Response When It Comes To Possible Suicide-By Cop Calls?

Listen 29:10
As Some Law Enforcement Agencies Rethink Policy, Is No Response The Best Response When It Comes To Possible Suicide-By Cop Calls?

After initiating a traffic stop on Monday, CHP officer Andre Moye was shot and killed by a suspect whose father now says his son may have been trying to get the police to kill him.

These instances of so-called suicide-by-cop have become top of mind to many members of law enforcement when a 911 call comes in about someone who is threatening to hurt him or herself. But as awareness of police relations with communities, use of deadly force, and mental health continues to increase, some departments are reconsidering their policy of responding to calls that could be an instance of suicide-by-cop.

One such department is the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, where Sheriff/Coroner Greg Hagwood says his department has stopped responding to these kinds of calls for fear that their presence or intervention could aggravate the situation further, leading to the potential for more harm to come to police officers, bystanders, or the suspect him or herself. 

Is no response really the best response when it comes to instances of possible suicide-by-cop? How do different departments Where can a family turn for help if police won’t repsond to situations like this? What resources are available?

If you or someone you know is in need of help or considering suicide, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Guests:

Anita Chabria, reporter for the Los Angeles Times, covering California state politics based in Sacramento; she’s reported on this issue; she tweets 

Greg Hagwood, sheriff/coroner for the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office

Cheryl Dorsey, retired sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD); she served between 1980-2000

Judy Ho, associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University; she is also a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist in Manhattan Beach, CA.; she tweets

New Study Says Long-term Exposure To Air Pollution Can Be Equivalent To Smoking A Pack A Day

Listen 18:48
New Study Says Long-term Exposure To Air Pollution Can Be Equivalent To Smoking A Pack A Day

Air pollution, especially ground-level ozone, can be linked to increases in emphysema, even among non-smokers and long-term exposure to higher-than-average levels of ozone leads to lung damage similar to that seen in smokers. 

That’s according to a new study spanning 18 years with more than 7,000 participants in six cities across the county, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Winston-Salem, N.C., and St. Paul, Minnesota. Researchers also found that while airborne pollutants have been declining in the U.S., ozone levels have been increasing, in part due to climate change.

The study was published in JAMA earlier this week and was led by researchers at the University of Washington, Columbia University and the University of Buffalo. 

For more, we speak with an author of the study and a local expert who’s been researching the effects of pollution right here in Los Angeles.

Guests:

R. Graham Barr, professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University and senior author of the study

Edward Lawrence Avol, professor of clinical preventive medicine at USC; his research focuses on the effects of airborne pollutants in populations at risk

FilmWeek: ‘Where'd You Go, Bernadette,’ ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2,’ ‘Good Boys’ and more

Listen 33:57
FilmWeek: ‘Where'd You Go, Bernadette,’ ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2,’ ‘Good Boys’ and more

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Wade Major, Amy Nicholson and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.

In our on-air review of "Jay Myself," we incorrectly stated the name of the director, which was corrected later on. The director of "Jay Myself" is Stephen Wilkes. We regret the error. 

CRITICS' HITS:

Wade: "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?", "Blinded By The Light", "Jay Myself" & "Low Low"

Charles: "Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles" 

Amy: "American Factory", "Cold Case Hammarskjöld" & "Good Boys"

MIXED FEELINGS: 

Amy: "The Amazing Johnathan Documentary" & "Ready Or Not"

Wade: "Driven"

Charles: "Kingdom"

MISSES:

Charles: "The Angry Birds Movie 2"

Guests:

Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets

Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com

Cut From The Same Cloth: How Directors’ Cuts Compare To Theatrically Released Edits

Listen 14:11
Cut From The Same Cloth: How Directors’ Cuts Compare To Theatrically Released Edits

Just like in the story of Goldilocks, it took director Francis Ford Coppola three tries to find the edit of “Apocalypse Now” that was just right. 

Coppola felt that the 1979 theatrically released version of the film cut out too much, prompting him to add in nearly  50 minutes of extra footage for the 2001’s “Apocalypse Now: Redux”. Earlier this week at the premiere of yet another version - “Apocalypse Now: Final Cut” - Coppola said the three-hour runtime of this latest edition (right in between the length of the first two) was finally “a version that I like”. (Coppola’s nearly 40 year journey to find the perfect version of Apocalypse Now has made him so synonymous with the term “directors’ cut” that he has a line of wine named after it). 

For some movie lovers, there’s often a sense that directors’ cuts are essential viewing, as the extended edits of films like Ridley Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven” and Zach Snyder’s “Watchmen” are widely regarded as better than the theatrical versions; other times, the label of “directors’ cut” and “special edition” and “extended version” can be marketing gimmicks to help sell the film on-demand and on home video - and sometimes it’s both, as with the popular, well-regarded “Lord Of The Rings” extended editions.

Today on FilmWeek, our critics discuss their favorite directors’ cuts and the notable stories behind them.

Guests:

Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets

Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com